When firearms, such as pistols, rifles and the like, are fired, small amounts of residues deposit within the chambers and barrels, as well as on adjacent exterior surfaces, thereof. These residues include grease and other lubricants from bullets or cartridges, carbon from the burning of the gunpowder propellant, and metallic deposits from the bullet. Over a period of time, these deposits build up and adversely affect the efficiency and utility of the firearm. As a result, the firearm must be constantly cleaned and maintained to achieve the maximum efficiency, utility and life of the firearm.
The standard method of cleaning a firearm includes the use of fabric cloth or swab that is attached to a cleaning rod. Large amounts of lead buildup on the firearm typically requires some scraping with a sharp instrument to take off the bulk of the lead, prior to using the cleaning rod. Care is to be taken when using a sharp instrument so as not to mar the finish of the firearm. The cloth or swab is used to absorb cleaning solution after being dipped into a cleaning solution. The current cleaning solutions for cleaning residues from a firearm include strong solvents, and the like, which break down the residues. The cleaning rod is run back and forth through the barrel (bore) and the cylinders. The cloth or swab is frequently replaced so as not to transfer residues from one part of the firearm to another. A brass brush is typically connect to the cleaning rod and inserted vigorously through the barrel and the cylinders to loosen and clean the metal and/or carbon residue on the components of the firearm. After using the brush, clean cloths or swabs are subsequently run through the barrel and the cylinders to remove any remaining cleaning solution and/or residue in the firearm. A protective oil is typically applied to the firearm components after cleaning. This multi-step cleaning method is time-consuming and messy and there is a tendency among firearms users to perform this task somewhat less frequently than would be desirable. Typically, an hour spent on cleaning the firearm will not leave it completely free of carbon and/or metal residues.
The cleaners that are used to remove deposits on the firearms include compositions of ammonia solutions; nitro solvents; organic solvents of various types (predominantly petroleum distillates); alkanolamides and diethanolamines; aluminum oxide, petroleum and citrus oils and ammonium chloride; and peroxide oxidizing agents, a liquid detergent surfactant, a scenting agent and an alcohol.
Although these cleaners satisfactorily remove many of the residues on firearms, the cleaners have one or more disadvantages such as having a deleterious effect on the metal parts of the firearm (i.e. causing etching, causing brittleness of metal) which can adversely effect the accuracy of the firearm and/or the firearm becomes unsafe or unreliable to use. In addition, many of the cleaners rapidly decompose and lose strength over time if not properly stored. Many of the cleaners include highly volatile components which are flammable and/or have relatively low flash points, thus requiring special care during use. Many of the cleaning solvents are highly toxic and required special care, ventilated environments and use of gloves and/or other handling equipment during the cleaning of the firearm. Several of the cleaners are non-biodegradable and/or produce hazardous waste. Most of these cleaners have or produce an unpleasant or noxious odor. Several of the cleaners result in skin and/or eye irritation during use. Many of the cleaners include abrasives and/or require the use of abrasives during the cleaning process, such abrasives can scratch and/or damage the firearm. As a result, the use of these cleaners can be inconvenient to use, store and/or handle, and are very time consuming to use. Furthermore, many of these cleaners are low viscosity solutions which entails messy handling and cleaning. These low viscosity cleaners migrate once applied to the firearm, thus creating imprecise application and inconvenient and messy handling. In addition, due to the tendency of these cleaners to migrate, the cleaner often comes in contact with areas of a part which should be kept free of the cleaner which can result in damage to the firearm. The migration of the cleaner to the stock of the firearm can cause flashing or ignition of the cleaner when the firearm is used. The migration of the cleaner also results in messy application and time consuming cleaning.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,490,947; 4,806,274 and 4,315,780, firearm cleaners are disclosed which include a scent to mask the odor of the cleaning compounds. Although the cleaners address one of the problems of traditional cleaners, the problems of inconvenient handling, volatility, toxicity, use of abrasives, skin irritation, non-biodegradability, production of hazardous waste and migration of the cleaner still remain. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,482,469 and 3,607,769, firearm cleaners are disclosed which have a higher viscosity than traditional cleaners. Although the cleaners minimize migration problems, the problems of inconvenient handling, odor, volatility, toxicity, use of abrasives, skin irritation, non-biodegradability and/or production of hazardous waste still remain. These five prior art references are incorporated herein by reference as background information.
In view of the existing cleaners, there is a need for a cleaner that can be used to clean a variety of outdoor sporting equipment, and is especially designed to remove residues of carbon and other gunpowder deposits, plastic, grease, lubricants, lead and other metallic deposits from firearms, is easy and convenient to use, is easy to store, has great versatility of use, is essentially non-migratory after application, is unscented or includes a masking scent, is essentially non-volatile, is not highly toxic, reduces skin and eye irritation, is biodegradable, produces essentially no hazardous waste, and minimizes the need for abrasives.